of fiery rhetoric on both sides. this hour, democratic vice presidential candidate tim kaine will be holding a rally in miami lax florida. meanwhile, donald trump is expected to speak this afternoon at an event honoring veterans in des moines, iowa. cnn's sunlen serfaty is there and joining us. sunlen, an interesting stop considering what the host of this event has said about both candidates. >> that's right, fred. the host of this event iowa senator joanie earninrnst who h blunt words for hillary clinton and donald trump talking about the tone and rhetoric exchanged between the two of them, allegations of racism, allegations of bigotry. senator ernst hosting this event where donald trump will appear today, basically said to both of them, cut it out and "the washington post" chief said to both of them i say they need to

take this into a civil discourse. i don't like when campaigns go that direction. i say to both of them back down and let's talk about the policies and the issues. now donald trump will be here in just a few hours speaking to this crowd and we will see if he, indeed, does take her advice and tone it down. i should point out that this is called a ride and roast event, second annual turning into an iowa tradition here that senator joanie ernst is hosting. he's not having a role in the 42-mile bike ride here. >> all right. so what about the crowd there, sunlen? have people said anything about how their views have changed in the course of recent days based on what they're hearing in these ads, hearing from the candidates or whether, you know, they are staunch supporters no matter what? i mean is there an evolution of the way voters there are thinking? >> i can tell you that people seem very aware of the rhetoric

and the words that are flying between both of the candidates this week. it doesn't appear from the conversations i've had with voters that they're changing anyone's mind but we have heard from voters time and time again the rhetoric is getting them down on the campaign trail. we'll see if both of the candidates keep this up. both had ads this week really using the other one's words against them, addressing these issues. we'll see if this is something that candidate keeps bringing out on the campaign trail. >> all right. sunlen serfaty thank you so much from des moines, iowa. donald trump's new campaign ceo stephen bannon ranted to his ex-wife about their children having to go to school with jewish kids and made those accusations in court documents filed during a battle over child support. cnn national correspondent diane gallagher joining me from washington. take us through what was said? >> like you said it is important to note that those charges of anti-semi tism come from his

ex-wife during a child custody case that happened in 2007. she said in that statement bannon did not want his daughters to attend a particular girls school that they had been considering for them, due to the number of jewish students. the document shows she stated, quote, he doesn't like jews and that he doesn't like that they raise their kids to be whiney brats, that he didn't want the girls going to school with jews. now again, those are his ex-wife's words from that court declaration that involved a dispute over child support. cnn has reached out to the trump campaign, but we haven't heard back yet, but bannon's spokeswoman did get back with us and tells us at that time, mr. bannon never said anything like that and proudly sent the girls to archer for their middle school and high school education. look, of course all of this does come as the newly appointed campaign chair is already facing scrutiny about his background. we learned this week more than 20 years ago bannon did face multiple charges including misdemeanor domestic violence

stemming from an incident involving his ex-wife. those charges are dismissed because the ex-wife didn't show up to court. she later said it's because his attorney threatened her saying she wouldn't be able to support their children if she came. now that is a charge that his attorney has denied. the trump campaign for what it's worth has said that incident involving 20 more years ago is not going to affect bannon's future with them. >> diane gallagher thank you so much. a short while ago hillary clinton wrapping up her white house intelligence briefing. she was spotted leaving the fbi field offices in white plains, new york, according to a clinton aide her briefing started at about 9:00 a.m. this morning and lasted a little more than two hours. she was not accompanied by aides while in the meeting and met with a handful of officials. the briefing was scheduled for an earlier date, but was moved to accommodate clinton's schedule. each candidate receives one briefing before the election. trump received his briefing at

fbi offices in manhattan last week. all right. maine's governor is under fire after leaving a pro fannity laced and threatening voicemail for a state law maker. cnn's phil mattingly has more on the story and we want to warn you some of the language is inappropriate. >> there's a pretty good chance that governor, state lawmakers legislatures, probably trade voicemails every once in a while. that's how it works. what happens when you're a state legislature in maine and you upset the rather volatile republican governor of maine? well, this. >> i would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist you [ bleep ]. >> reporter: that's maine's governor paul le page, his target drew got gattine. the governor did not hold back. >> i want you to prove that i'm

a racist. i've spent my life helping black people and you little son of a [ bleep ] socialist [ bleep ]. you -- i feed you to -- i want you to record this and make it public because i am after you. thank you. >> reporter: and in a page right out of the 19th century, the governor later challenges gattine to a duel. >> that's how angry i am. and i bet and i would put my gun in the air, guarantee you, i would not be hamilton. i would point it right between his eyes. >> reporter: le page is no stranger to controversy. >> i was donald trump before donald trump become a populist. >> reporter: something he acknowledged in his endorsement of donald trump this year. the parallels go further. an outsider riling up the establishment, a fighter, willing to go to the mat with political foes. le page's daughter works for

trump's campaign and yes, he's a li politician of history of no so politically correct comments. from strong word to president obama. >> as your governor you're going to be seeing a lot of me on the front page saying, governor le page tells obama to go to hell. >> reporter: to punctuating a dispute with the naacp like this. >> tell them to kiss my butt. >> reporter: and recently, on the father of a muslim-american soldier killed in action in iraq. >> send us the mighty powerful ones like mr. khan, who is a con artist himself and uses the death of his son, an american soldier, which we respect and honor, and he uses that to go after trump which i found very distasteful. >> reporter: it's comments related to the heroin crisis that have followed le page for months. >> these are guys named d-money, smoothie, shifty, these type of guys that come from connecticut

and new york come up here, they sell their heroin, and then they go back home. incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave which is the real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road. >> reporter: fred, it does all go back to the comments from governor le page in january that he doubled down on wednesday during a town hall. now these are comments that le page himself has repeatedly stated we're not racist, they weren't meant with racism in mind but comments that drew a lot of criticism as racially charged from civil rights groups, from maine democratic legislatures. le page put out a lengthy statement after all of this, he apologized to, quote, the people of maine for his comments for the language he used in the voicemail, but he did not apologize for saying he would like to have a duel with the democratic lawmaker and also pledged that he would do everything in his power to stop the state representative from

doing anything legislatively or politically going forward. so little bit of a walk back, not much of one. fred? >> all right. phil mattingly, thank you so much. straight ahead, hundreds of families are set to bury their loved ones in italy following a devastating earthquake. cnn is there with details on today's funeral services and the ongoing search for those still unaccounted for. next. a true traveler's journey doesn't end at the horizon. so it most certainly doesn't end... at gate c-47. with travelocity, get help through social media 24/7. travelocity® wander wisely™

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earthquake hit a popular resort area wednesday. dozens of funerals are taking place. italy's prime minister and president attending 35 of them. the death toll now at 290 and many more still unaccounted for. cnn's atika shubert joins us live from italy. atika, more than 6,000 rescuers are in the region. what's the latest on the search? >> well, the search conditions, but it's become more of a search and recovery effort. in fact in the last few hours another body was found, the death toll has gone up to 291. so it will be a long process of mourning, but that has begun today with the state funeral. school gym nasium turned makeshift chapel fit for a state funeral. three rows of coffins, 35 in all, with a bouquet of flowers and photo of the person lost in italy's devastating earthquake.

besides them family members, their broken limbs in casts, faces bruised and bandages, eyes red and swollen from crying. italy's prime minister and president attended offering condolences to those who lost loved ones, conveying gratitude to those that pulled survivors from the rubble. the bishop led the conversation mentioning victims by name including juliana, the young girl who died shielding her 4-year-old sister georgia as their summer home collapsed around them. georgia survived with minor injuries, julia did not. maria lost friends and family in the earthquake. she and her husband used their bare hands to dig neighbors out of the rubble. community is very important she told us. small villages like this, the relationship with the land, with those you love, with your family, very, very strong. it will be even stronger.

we won't give up she says. there will be more funerals. the death toll from the earthquake continues to climb into the hundreds, as more bodies are discovered in the rubble. this funeral is only among the first. a national day of mourning for the country to come together and begin the process of healing and rebuilding. now, part of the problem of t recovery is the aftershocks that continue. another big one last night. not only does it affect the damaged buildings and hamper the search but traumatizes so many of the survivors. this is why you see so many tent camps not only for those displaced but living in their homes every time an aftershock comes it can be frightening and they will run out and many feel safer sleeping out here in the open. >> wow. all right. tragic, thank you so much. atika shubert. straight ahead, we'll tell you what happened when a couple stranded on a deserted island

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all right. there's been oscar buzz around

the new film "the birth of a nation" but this week's planned jeeng screeninging at the american film institute was axed because of the writer behind the movie. nate parker was acquitted in a college rape case which wasn't fully known until after the film gained attention. here now is jean casarez. >> what you think you're doing boy? >> reporter: from the moment nate parker's film "birth of a nation" premiered, the picture has been met with critical acclaim. >> i'm nat. >> reporter: the accounts staring parker as nat turner who led a slavery revolt in 1831, won big honors at this year's film festival. fox search light then invested a record $17.5 million for distribution rights. "birth of a nation" was on its way to blockbuster success. that is, until this. parker, the writer, director and star of this film, rated r in

part because of violence, was formally accused of a violent act himself in 1999. rape. sexually assaulting a young woman that he knew while a student at penn state university. parker was arrested and charged with multiple offenses. his roommate at the time jean cell less teen now co-author with parker was charged with sexually assaulting the young woman at the same time. according to legal documents, parker harassed the accuser during the time before trial. parker was found not guilty on all charges. in 2012, the woman who accused parker and celestine committed suicide and the future of the movie is in question, with showings being canceled or modified before the national premier october 7. parker has taken to facebook trying to explain what happened 17 years ago. over the last several days, part of my past, my arrest, trial and

acquittal, on charges of sexual assault, has become a focal point for media coverage, social media speculation and industry conversation. i understand why so many are concerned and rightfully have questions. while i maintain my innocence that the encounter was unambiguously consensual there are things more important than the law. there is morality. no one who calls himself a man of faith, should even be in that situation. cnn has reached out to parker's representatives for comment. they have not gotten back with us. the toronto international film festival has said it will be going ahead with the screening of the film, minus a press conference that had been scheduled with nate parker himself. jean casarez, cnn, new york. >> and look at our top stories. new precautions to help stop the pr spread of the zika virus. zika testing of donated blood across the nation.

according to the cdc more than 2500 people in the u.s. affected with the virus. most of the cases are travel related. flash flooding has put much of the kansas city missouri area under water. the national weather service is calling this an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation and issuing an unprecedented flash flood emergency. emergency crews have been working around the clock to help people trapped by the floods. this rescue on a remote pacific island is just like a scene out of a movie. an s.o.s. signal was scrawled in the sand by a couple who were stranded for nearly a week after their boat ran into trouble. an international team searched nearly 17,000 miles for the pair before the plane caught a glimpse of the distress signal and sent a patrol boat to pick them up. we're back in a moment.

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welcome back. this thursday a new cnn film follows a man in search of a spiritual awakening. will allen gave up his life and family to join the buddha field. now, some former members call it

a cult that is still active today in hawaii. >> we were told that he would have a day set aside where we could come and ask him for the direct experience of god and he called it the knowing. >> the knowing was based on this book, this hindu book, where it reveals the direct experience of god to his disciples. >> i was like, yes, that resonated with me. i knew it was possible. >> the knowing was the realization of being able to see and hear and taste god.

>> you could only comprehend what this means. to have what god means to you in his purest form. finally. >> that was something that i felt like i had been looking for my entire life up to that point. i had gone it school. i had a degree. i had a great job. i was engaged. and yet, when this happened, it was like, all of that meant nothing. >> wow. powerful stuff. don't miss the inside look into the buddha field journey for enlightenment and the consequences that followed, "holy hell" that premiers thursday on cnn at 9:00 p.m. eastern time. thanks so much for being with me. i'm fredricka whitfield. right now "vital signs with dr. sanjay gupta."

>> it comes from the greek word meaning "addition" and today prosthetics are like extensions of the human body than ever before. this is "vital signs." i'm dr. sanjay gupta. the first were used in egypt 3,000 years ago. s they wooden toes were found in a mummy's tomb thought to be the world's oldest prosthetics but advancements in functional limbs were still a long way off. amputations from disease or injury were often fatal. in the united states, it was the civil war in the 1860s that first put prosthetics at the forefront. today, there are nearly 2 million people living with limb loss in